Dissertation Abstract:My current work focuses on social ties among older adults aging in place, and my dissertation research examines urban belonging among older adults aging in a gentrified New York City neighborhood. To understand the lived experience of aging in place, I have spent the past four and a half years conducting a multi-sited ethnographic study following participants as they have coped with the closing of neighborhood establishments, the loss of neighbors, friends, and family, health setbacks, depression, illness, financial struggles, and other challenges. My work investigates how belonging to a place or a group of people helps older adults cope with multiple vulnerabilities and develop social support networks to manage crisis and everyday challenges.

Publications and Papers Under ReviewScholarly Articles, Book Chapters, and Briefing PapersGerson, Kathleen and Stacy Torres. Forthcoming. “Changing Family Patterns and Family Life.” Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.